Flying high, or not?
by lillypad22
Summary: When Iggy is suddenly captured and taken back to the school, he comes back with unintended side effects. What are they and can the flock stop them before it's too late? Rated T for violence and mild cursing.
1. In a mood?

**So begins my first chapter! I've had this in my documents for like, ever and then one day I had a brilliant idea for my newest fic. I have high hopes for this one! So the full summary: Pre Fang- When Iggy is suddenly captured and taken back to the school, he comes back with unintended side effects. Rated T for violence and mild cursing. Possibly some OOC-ness sorry! **

**La disclaimer: I wish, I hope, I pray, but still I don't own Maximum Ride. **

_Iggy's POV_

I sat in my room painting. Yeah, painting. It was my little secret, only Angel knew about it, and that was only because she could read minds. It was stupid anyways. I couldn't even see what I was painting. My stupid blind eyes only stared in space. I could _feel_ my painting though. The red, blues and violets. I loved stirring them all together in a massive rainbow. (Did I just think that? No, that had to be someone else. Someone less . . . Manly.)

"Iggy!" I heard Max screaming across the hall. "Get your big butt down-stairs to cook breakfast."

Wow. That was the pure sound of appreciation. Sorry, it's just that Max rubs me the wrong way sometimes. She is always so freaking bossy. When she isn't yelling at me, she ignores me. I mean, she's my sister, so I don't feel to bad saying I feel ignored. Don't take it the wrong way, I love her, I really do. Just . . . Sometimes it's like I'm five, not fourteen, you know? Which honestly, I can't really blame her, well, not all the time. Dragging my blind butt everywhere must be a pain.

Not that I'm a complete downer, I just hate being blind. You'd think after a couple of years a kid would get used to it. I am used to it, I guess. I don't wake up screaming "I'm blind! I can't see oh my god!" but I still wake up groaning, cause you know, it's not a charm live a blind life.

I groaned put the paint brush down. I carefully hid it under my closet. We, the flock were now living at Dr. Martinez's place. I have to admit, it was pretty nice. I don't have to share my room, which is always a plus. The three oldest kids didn't have too, Max, Fang and I, but the kids did.

"IGGY I AM GOING TO COOK UNLESS YOU WAKE THE HELL UP!"

"I'M AWAKE!" I screamed just to shut her up. Man, I am NOT a morning person.

I slid my hand down looking for the doorknob. I opened the door, stairs were my next challenge. _Just fifteen steps, don't slip. _I made a mental reminder. I made it to the kitchen.

"Finally, I thought you were dead. What are you making for breakfast?" Max said, and it sounded like she was twirling her hair.

"Eggs, bacon, toast. You don't like it, too bad." I said getting the frying pan. I had practically memorized every thing in the entire house.

"Me? Picky? Never." She retorted.

"Oh, hey Max. Good morning. I woke up by my self this morning. So unlike me! That reminds me, I took a personality quiz online and it says I'm a summer, which is pretty cool. I would of absolutely died if it said I was a winter. I mean, it's cold, everything is dead, why is this season even here? It's so boring and-"

I cut Nudge off before my ears bled. "Nudge please, it's the middle of the freaking morning!"

"Sorry." She smiled, at least I think she did. I normally would let her rant, her voice was kind of soothing, I was just in a mood this morning.

I heard someone yawn. "Morning." It was Angel.

I stirred the bacon. While I was cooking absent mindedly I heard the rest of the flock join the kitchen. Didn't they have better things to do than stare at food at nine in the morning?

I fixed the eggs. Cooking was the only thing I had. Gasman could still make bombs, with or without me by now. I could hear footsteps, but seriously, was that even worth mentioning?

"Done. Eat up." I said waving the flock over. Finally, I could go up and paint again, or sit and listen to music. Whichever, I wasn't in the mood to eat.

"Iggy where are you going?" Gazzy said behind me as I was heading up the stairs.

"Um, to my room, I'm not quite that hungry."

Max burst out laughing. "You? Not hungry? You stuff your face every chance you get! Are you feeling sick?" She said full of sarcasm and "mom tone".

"No, I'm just not in the social mood." I'm never in the social mood, not being able to see any thing but black can put a damper on your social life.

"Okkaayyy. Whatever Mr. CrankyPants." I rolled my eyes. "Is that paint on your arm? It looks like you've got orange paint on your arm." She asked. Crap.

"No, me? The blind guy painting? Very funny." I said sarcastically.

"No seriously. It looks like paint."

"Well it's not. I don't know what it is, but it's not paint."

I sighed and started stepping up the stairs. Crap, I lost count. I tried going down stairs to retrace my steps. I slipped and landed flat on my face.

"Are you okay?" Max said getting up.

My blood was boiling with embarrassment. "Shiiiii-darn. I'm fine. Just eat. Okay?"

I got up and stomped to my room. I fell on my bed. I just wanted to crawl away. Instead, I feel asleep.

I woke up to Max knocking quite loudly on my door.

"Iggy? Are you sure your okay?" She said nervously.

I opened the door.

"Just freaking peachy. I'm just in a mood, you know?" I said looking at her face, or what I imagined her face to be.

"Listen, I know how it can be, you know?" She said pulling her hair behind her ear.

"How the heck do you know?" I said my voice rising.

"The pressure get's to me, you know, me fighting the world, and having to save it."

"Yep. Max, the hero. Not to mention those little people behind her. What were there names again? Oh right, the flock."

"Hey what's with you this morning?" She seemed shocked.

"Sorry, I just, I don't know. I'm in a mood." I said again, shrugging.

"Well tell me when you get the heck out of it!" She slammed my door.

Great. The perfect way to start a morning. Just perfect.

**Sorry if anyone was OOC but I figured I should resolve the Flocks moodyness from the previous book. I know this is pre Fang but still. Anyway, I hope to update pretty soon! Please tell me what you think because seriously, I gotta know!**

**RnR?**


	2. Beach and Omg!

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So this is the next chapter! I hope you guys like it! If you guys have any tips fill free to tell me! Or even criticism helps!

Disclaimer: I still don't have Maximum Ride. Really and truly. If I did I would be bragging right now.

Iggy's POV:

I sat there just sitting there for a while. Maybe I was sleep deprived?

I looked at the walls. Yes, I _looked. _

I love my room. Like majorly. My room was completely white. Meaning? You betcha, I can see. Well sort of.

It's hard to describe. I can see the faint outlines and some of the colors. When I'm painting I can't really see it that well. It's kind of fuzzy. Perhaps I should of mentioned this earlier.

I picked up the paintbrush. I dipped my brush into the paint. Ahhhh turquoise. Turquoise was one of my many favorites.

I suddenly heard a faint knocking sound coming from the end of my door. Oh crap.

See when a flock member knocks on your door, they never give you any time to respond. I don't even know why they knock because really they just barge in.

"Hey Ig?" Fang said walking through the door.

He immediately started laughing. "Your painting? Seriously?"

I sighed. I looked at him. God I loved that. I could actually see him! Even then, he had found out my dirty little secret.

"How much?" I asked him.

"Huh?" he said still laughing.

"How much can I pay you to not tell anyone?" Why did it have to be Fang? Why not Ella? Fang was probably going to blackmail me about this for years. If not more.

"50 bucks."

"That's insane!" There was no way I was going to pay that much money for my secret.

"Hey Max! Ella! Come over here!" He suddenly screamed.

"Fine!" I looked around the dresser to find my wallet. I pulled out what appeared to be a fifty. Where does the blind boy get his cash? Bombs and what not are pretty pricey to get all the materials for, but if you buy it then sell it back for much more than it's worth, well you get a steady profit.

Gosh I love eBay.

Fang ran off. I pulled out my paint brush and painted some more.

"Flock meeting!" I suddenly heard Max calling down stairs. Great.

I ran down stairs.

"Guys, you know, I think it would be well, fun, if we did something out of the ordinary. You guys seemed to be stressed or something. So I decided that we should have some fun!" She said, lack of better words, perky.

"So, guys, were headed to the beach!"

There were several screams of joy and excitement, mostly from the girls, including Ella. The only thought I had running through my head was "And gee, since when was the last time we went to the beach and didn't get killed? That's always been a stress reliever!"

Instead I ran upstairs and put on some swimming trunks. Since when did I have swimming trunks? Since Dr. Martinez is very sweet and apparently Ella likes shopping. I didn't feel like arguing with Max anyway.

- Line break named George-

Three cups of coffee and a long drive (apparently it wouldn't be nice if we flew while we were with Dr. M and Ella) later, we arrived at a warm, and very sandy beach.

Ella and Nudge fanned out in the sand to "tan" while the rest of the flock practically dived into the water. And then we realized it was still pretty cold so we ran out of the water as fast as we could.

"Come on Iggy don't be chicken!" Gazzy yelled out to me. "Get in the water!"

An eight-year-old calling a fourteen-year-old chicken. Am I the only one who sees a problem with that?

So I jumped in and tackled him. Suddenly we were both underwater and fighting to the death. He punched me in the gut so I sent him flying, literally. I thought we both would end up with water up our nose and coughing like a maniac. But then I noticed something weird. I had been underwater for like five minutes. _Without taking a breath. _

Panicking I felt my neck. There were tiny _gills_!

I jumped out of the water. "Hey guys! Check this out!" The I dived into the water again. And I didn't come up for breath until ten minutes later.

"Whose got gills? I do!" I bragged. Maybe today isn't so bad after all. And maybe me getting gills isn't as cool as when Max did when she nearly got squished by a gigantic octopus. So what? We both got gills! It was too cool!

I dived in and swallowed water. It came back as small bubbles out of my gills. How freaking cool!

"No way Iggy! That's awesome! Your like Max and Fang now! Ooh and Angel! I wonder if I'm fishy too. That would be cool but ew fishes. That's just nasty." Nudge was interrupted by Fang, who clamped his hand around her mouth.

"That's so cool guys, I wish I had them too." Ella said looking pretty disappointed.

"Sorry Ella. But believe me, you really wouldn't want to be in our situation." Max said all leader like

Nudge got up and went under water. She came up four minutes later.

"Omg guys! I've got 'em too!"

And so it begin. Everyone had apparently gotten fishy. I thought I was special! (Just kidding). In all actuality I kind of wish I was the only one who had fins today, but hey, at least we had something more.

One more power, cool in it's own way, but still majorly weird.

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I know that this may not seem very relevant to the summary right now but believe me, them getting gills has something to do with the plot. Plus I thought it would be nice to let them all get something extra, Max, Fang, and Angel can't get all the powers.

I would just let Iggy be the one to get the powers since I think he would be the next one to develop since he is third oldest (even though Angel develops the fastest apparently) but it really doesn't fit what's going to happen in the fic. Any way if you want to guess the "unintended side effects" early fill free!

RnR? Purty please with Iggy on top?


	3. The Office

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Okay seriously guys, I am totally in love with all my reviewers!

To all of my amazing reviewers: Fangfan1, Pandorad24, Yuki's Little Girl, Angel-Rider, Phyre-bird, Moe10, Writer's Solo, flYegurl, pigs103!

I think it's amazing how many reviews I got for just two chapters, it's my personal best. So thank you, to everyone.

This chapters a little different than the others. You'll see what I mean.

Disclaimer: Hello? JP can you please tell these folks that I don't own Maximum Ride? No answer? Well I don't!

Location: At the experimentation department, School, California

Jeb's POV

Mr. Murphy sat in dark clothing staring at the many computer monitors in front of him. I looked closer. He was in his office, which currently was completely dark. The only light was flickering on screen. There, on the many screens, were the children I knew, and still loved. The infamous flock.

"Do you see that Batchelder?" He beckoned to me. I slightly nodded. He was pointing to Iggy- I mean experiment 408. '_I must remember to call them by their number.' _I reminded myself.

The screen was showing them at Max-405's human mother's house. '_You know what, you should call them by your own freaking words. It's your own mind for freaking god's sake!' _They were at Max's mom's house. They were all watching a movie, except for Iggy who was sitting their with some sort of machinery. Probably a bomb.

"408 feels neglected." He said chuckling. "If I tell you something Batchelder, will you keep it to yourself?" He said with all seriousness.

"Of course sir. Anything for you." I hated saying that. I hated that more than anything. But I had to day after freaking day.

"And that's why you're rated higher than all my other, well, let's call them employees." Mr. Murphy said taking a drag of his cigar.

Mr. Murphy was the type of man that no one wanted to talk to. Not because he was annoying or had an unattractive personality. He was the type of man who had so much power it would intimate even millionaires. Believe me, I've seen it happen.

Mr. Murphy was an older man. He had thinning white hair and a goatee that was thicker than his hair. I guess looks can sometimes be deceiving. He wore only suits, and was behind most of the facility's across the country. And I had the pleasure of sitting with him at this very moment.

"You see that one, what do they call him? Ig- something. Anyway as you can see he is a bit neglected. The weakest link. The liability. Blind as a bat. Poor thing." He inhaled deeply and blew smoke back into my face.

I waited for him to continue.

"He's slowing down the whole operation, a distraction if you will. His inability to see was never apart of the agenda. We need him to see if we ever want Ms. Maximum to fulfill her destiny." he paused. "The boy can't be lugged around like a briefcase. But he can't be expected to leave and live alone either. You know how maximum reacts to one of her precious flock members leaving."

"Sir, what are you planning to do, fix his sight?" I asked rather boldly. I could only hope I wouldn't get scolded for that one.

"And have another screwed up operation? We can't take the chance nor the time." He merely smiled.

"You aren't going to, I mean you couldn't. You aren't going to kill him are you sir?" I asked, again boldly. He couldn't kill Iggy. I wouldn't allow it. Even if he was the boss.

"Boldness doesn't run in your favor Batchelder. Remember who you are dealing with. When I say jump, you say?"

I internally sighed. "How high." I said with fake enthusiasm.

"Anyway, no I'm not going to kill the boy. That would cause an emotional distraction for Maximum. Can't have that. And besides, I have something planned.. Were using his weaknesses against him, and the fact the that he is already neglected, it's smoke to our lit cigar. It's still experimental, but it will fix all our problems with this Ig boy. Good thing we are in the experimentation department now aren't we."

I studied this for a second while he continued smoking the cigar.

"What experiment would that be sir?" I spoke finally.

"You'll find out in good time. You know too much already." He said.

"The studies department needs you. They've called me twice in the last hour. Something about a final mutation." He said shaking his hand for me to leave. I had too much on my mind to go back to my studies. If only I could get out of this place once and for all.

If only . . . .

"And Batchelder?" He called out. I was already halfway down the hallway.

"Sir?" I answered, turning.

"Don't forget that our conversation was just between you and I."

"I won't sir, you have my word."

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*Squee!* All the drama! So yeah I know this is totally a different chapter than what everyone expected. Please don't hate me!

I already know what's planned out, so again if anyone wants to take a guess fill free. And please fill free to criticize this as much as you want, I'm not even sure how I like how it turned out. I think I like it, especially with the last part but I'm not sure how clear everything was in the beginning.

Anyway, RnR?


	4. sigh Erasers, again?

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I wanted to thank anyone that reviewed, I love you all! So here it is, the chapter when everything goes awry! Hope you guys like it!

Disclaimer: I own everything. HA! I wish. Nope, I do not, Maximum Ride is all your J.P.!

"How about sleeping beauty?" Angel said with (I'm guessing) puppy dog eyes.

"No way, hello, not all of us guys want to watch a boring disney movie okay? Let's watch G.I. Joe!" Gasman yelled.

"Ew, all that war and junk? No way. How about Bratz? It's not a boring disney movie and it would be cute!" Nudge insisted.

"Guy's, guys, let's watch something both genders want to watch okay?" Max intervened. "Let's watch, hmm, Harry Potter?"

There seemed to be a mutual agreement with that one. I sighed. It's not like the blind boy get's to watch the movie. Each member of the flock took turns filling me in, but let's face it, it's just not the same. Plus when I'm watching someone always has to miss part of the movie. It sucks, no way around it.

So I sat there with my bomb, although it was just a bunch of junk and wires currently. I could screw in the little wires and connect them, but I would need a little help from Gazzy just to make everything work properly. So after taking, I don't know, ten minutes to do that, I was officially bored. I decided to "watch" the movie after all.

-George says hi-

Six hours and thirty three minutes later, I decided to hit the hay. Everyone else was asleep but I had a difficult time going to sleep. Being on the run most of the time can give you a nasty case of insomnia.

So all of a sudden, I sitting there drinking a glass of milk (yum!) in the kitchen, when I hear a crashing sound. No not a "falling-out-of-bed" kind of crashing sound a "glass-breaking-Erasers-are-breaking-into-my-house" kind of sound. Not just into the house, they chose to break in and destroy, _my freaking room._

Yeah. Not happy about that.

Suddenly there were about thirty erasers crawling in everywhere. Thirty is a lot, even if us bird kids are fighting machines.

We all sprung into action. An Eraser charged at my head and I swung hitting him in the jaw. He kicked me, well, were it hurts, and I was on the floor. Practically screaming in pain, he continued to kick me where it hurts, until Nudge flew in to kick the immortal snot out of him.

As soon as I was able I took full control, I hit, punched, and kicked every Eraser I could. Honestly it was no use. There were just too many. We would have to do a U and A, but there was the Doc and Ella . . .

Suddenly there was a scream. Not a normal scream, one that I knew all too familiar. Ella was screaming bloody murder. The eraser had his claws clutched around her small, fragile, human neck.

-George is just as scared as you don't worry-

"Stop." Max gasped. "Please I'll do anything."

Doctor M was sniffling. I think she was crying. I honestly couldn't move, my brain was mush. Nothing but mush.

"We don't want you Max. Not this time." The Eraser growled.

He moved, and I became tense, well tenser than I was.

Everything grew silent. Time past until it was unbearable. I think I would have screamed, I was so, so, just upset.

"Iggy." Max whispered. "He's pointing, he's pointing at you …"

I stood there, not moving. He was going to take me away. He was going to kill me, or worse.

I walked slowly. "Take me then. Leave Ella here. Take me back, take me back to the school."

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So I'm not sure how that turned out. It was a lot shorter than I imagined but hey, at least I updated. I'm not so good with the whole "fighting thing" so please bare with me. RnR?


	5. Strange Meetings

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So I'm not sure how that turned out. It was a lot shorter than I imagined but hey, at least I updated. I'm not so good with the whole "fighting thing" so please bare with me. RnR?

It's been forever. I realize this. I really do. I know you may want to kill me but hear me out. School just started, and on top of that, I've been at the lake all labor day with no internet connection. I'M SORRY!

Disclaimer: Me no own Maximum Ride. Not even 1%,

The Eraser grabbed me, not a soft grab, but a gut wrenching, slice you in half kind of thing. They broke through the glasses and stormed out. I hung my head. I was going to die, I wish I was anyway. A death is much more easy than that horrid place.

"We will get you Iggy! I promise!" Max shouted. "I'll get you if it's the last thing I ever do!"

I smiled weakly. At least they were going to try. I just hoped that they wouldn't end up stuck there. That was the last thing I heard that night, seeing as the Eraser accidentally shoved my head against the door frame, and I blacked out.

-George screamed "Iggy no!" George loves Iggy-

My head was swimmy, as if I had spun around for an hour. I tried to sit up, but I was held back in restraints. It was probably a good thing, I think I might have puked.

It all flashed back. Me leaving in Ella's place, Max screaming. I can't actually believe I went. I knew I was going to die, and I gave up just like that.

God my head was going to explode. Not to mention the open gashes all around my body.

My arms and legs were wet with blood. I tried sitting up again.

"Ah, Iggy. That is your name, correct?" Someone nearly made me pee myself. Typically my hearing is better than, well anyone's, but I seriously did not see that coming.

I managed a choked gasp. "I prefer to be called R2D2." It came out sounding like "Immberfer."

"Listen, Iggy. I'm not going to sugar coat anything. Your stuck here. Your friends aren't coming for you. And more than likely our experiments will kill you in a long drawn out way."

That's a great way to start my day here.

I probably would have tried to retort back but all I could do was let out a low moan. He had tightened my restraints so tight I was gasping for breath.

"You don't need to know my name, or anything about me. But rest assured. I know everything about you. I know how your nothing to "the flock" . You cook and clean, just like a common maid. Even the younger kids are more helpful. Pretty pathetic." his voice was deep, but shaken. He sounded older, mid-sixties possibly.

I bit my lip. He squeezed my restraints again.

"Not to mention your little problem.' I felt him poking around my eyes.

"Have you ever heard of the term liability? You should probably look it up."

In a strange way, I believed the older man. I mean it's not like he's wrong about any of this. I just hate admitting it.

"Iggy?" He turned to me.

I bit my lip harder as he was practically squeezing me to death. I felt blood trickling down my chin.

"See Ig. We aren't going to treat you how we treated you when you were younger. That wouldn't be fair. After all, your older and your body has matured. You definitely deserve harder punishment."

Punishment? For what? Living?

"For escaping." It seemed as if the older man could read my mind.

"Oh yes Iggy. I can. And much, much more." His said ominously.

Well crap.

He laughed softly, squeezing me tighter. I was gasping for breath by now.

"And Iggy, I lied earlier. You aren't going to die. Not at all. But believe me, you are going to wish, pray even, that you would. Death would be such an easy option. But what your going to endure, I wouldn't wish upon anyone. Anyone except you." He paused. "How does it feel to be nothing more than a mistake?"

With that I had no answer.

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I know that was kinda short and all but I really will update sooner. I promise. Didn't really love this chapter. Your feelings? RnR?


	6. Holding together

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Okay guys, something I've been wanting to say for a while. I just kept forgetting to say it last time. So, I checked my reviews. I got 27 reviews so far for 5 chapters . . . . .

I LOVE YOU ALL!

I'm pretty new to the fan fic story writing process, but so far 27 reviews is, like, the most amazing thing ever. I seriously want to kiss each and everyone of your feet.

Anyway . . .

Disclaimer: During the middle of the night I did not somehow own Maximum Ride, it was a dream, not reality! But . . . I do own the OC's. Just sayin'!

Max POV:

Oh. My. God. He was gone. Seriously gone. It's happened before, with Angel, but I never honestly even considered it happening again. Especially not Iggy, no never Iggy.

I turned around, flinching. Those Erasers really do pack a punch. Ella was in hysterics, she was bawling so hard it looked painful. Mom was crying too, holding her. As for the rest of the flock, we just kind of stood there. In shock I guess you could say. Iggy had given his life for Ella, and we just stood around and watched.

I was mad now. Why didn't we fight harder? Couldn't we have done something? Why didn't we save him?

__

There's nothing we could have done Max. Stop blaming yourself.

Sounded like advice the voice would have given me. It wasn't, it was Angel.

Typically I would have given Angel a reply like _Sweetie I know, it'll be alright. _But I couldn't. I was just too ticked off.

__

**I know. It's just, how could this happen? How could our whole family be freaking ripped apart?**

Angel didn't reply.

I scanned everyone else. Nudge's head was buried deep within a pillow. Angel had her head turned. Fang was . . . Shaking. That scared me. Fang didn't shake, let alone move. But what really killed me, something that actually hurt my heart, was looking at Gazzy. Gazzy tried to be so strong. He honestly was the toughest little fighter ever. Even when I was his age I wasn't as tough. Gazzer's looked angry, he was shaking with anger. But if you looked closer, he wasn't actually angry. He was crying harder than I had ever seen him. Suddenly he picked up a glass from the sink and threw it across the room. It made a loud shattering sound.

That's when I burst into tears. You know, for someone who is made of metal and doesn't cry, I sure do cry a bunch.

Images of Iggy racked my brain. Him laughing, smirking, and even crying.

I fell to my knee's. In horror, I realized that he could be dead at this very moment. _No, Iggy's a fighter. He would never do that. _I convinced myself.

After our little crying fest, I got back up and dried my eyes. "Guys, you know what we have to do." I said loud enough so the sobs I held back wouldn't show through.

"We are going to get him. I told him that. I won't lie, it's not going to be easy. We need to stick together." I yelled.

"Angel," I turned toward her. "I don't think it's a good idea for you to go. Especially since they captured you last time."

Before she could yelp in protest, I continued. "But, since you do have certain abilities, I would be stupid not to realize that we need you." She smiled.

"What about me? You aren't leaving me behind! Not again! Iggy is my best friend. If you even think about leaving me, I'll . . . I'll never forgive you!" Gasman screamed.

I shuddered. Gazzy had been so racked by all this. I couldn't leave him. It would be torture. Plus I wouldn't ever forgive myself if he hated me. "No Gazzy, your coming. Don't worry. I'm not going to leave you out of this."

"Um Max?" Ella spoke up quietly. Her face was red and puffy from crying. She sniffed "What if they come back for us?" She cried again.

I hadn't thought about that.

"Doesn't CSM have some sort of relocation spots or something like that?" Fang asked quietly. I noticed that his shaking had gone down some. He was still twitching every few minutes or so though.

Mom spoke up for the first time. "Actually yes, to some degree. They have different locations for different reasons. Some of them are high security, sort of like the places you guys have been." I could tell she was trying to keep everything together. If my child had been threatened to die like her, I would be on the floor by now. I was proud of her for keeping cool.

"So this is perfect right? Now we can go and save Iggy. And Mrs. M can be save with Ella." Nudge smiled.

I smiled as well. _Things are going to be okay. _

The voice. And for once, I agreed with him.

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Okay, so kinda filler but it had to be there. And sorry about the no Iggy in the particular chapter. Next chapter I promise he will be there! Please bare with me as I get to the meat of the story! RnR?


	7. Falling Apart

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Okay. So I got 11 freaking reviews for last chapter. Eleven freaking reviews. I seriously might cry. Eleven. For. One. Chapter. I LOVE EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU!

But a special shout out goes to Heart the Squid because she reviewed more than half of those ten reviews. So she is awesome and deserves like ten Iggy cookies. Why? Because reviewers are awesome-er than celebrities. They are cool man. So yeah, and now I'm ranting. J

Disclaimer: There is no way that I could possibly ever own Maximum Ride. Why? Because Maximum Ride was written by James Patterson. He is a man. I am a girl therefore I cannot be the author.

Iggy POV:

The sad thing was about all of this, the strange encounter with the man, was that he was absolutely correct. They did punish me. They punished me hard.

How today started: I can't tell you how it exactly started seeing as I didn't sleep. I spent all night running laps around the overly large rat maze. After two hundred and eleven laps (which had to have been a morbid number of miles, even with wings) I collapsed. Now I'm being shuffled into my cage. Apparently I've out grown that too. I can't even stretch without slamming into the cold metal bars.

I closed my eyes. Finally I could drift into a soft sleep. Mmmmm …..

But that would be too simple wouldn't it? Suddenly I was being shaken awake by a scientist who managed to reach his grubby hands into the cage.

"Wakey wakey you little piece of filth. Mr. Murphy would like a word with you. Or a needle . . ." He chuckled. His voice was ugly. Have you ever heard someone with a disgusting voice? When your blind you can't really be all that judgmental on looks, but you can be with the sound of voices. That sound told me he was trouble. Course, what with being a white coat and all, you probably could have guessed that.

I groaned and reluctantly followed the horrid sounding man. He shoved me into a small room about three minutes later. From then on I was shoved and strapped to one of those beds at doctors offices.

"Ah Iggy. Nice of you to join us again." It was that man, the man who first greeted me when I first came to the horrid school. I guess his name was Mr. Murphy. I'm calling him that from now on.

I couldn't think of anything to reply, so I just kinda sat there. Then he began to strap me in and cut off my circulation once again.

"Iggy. I need to you listen carefully." He murmured in my ear. I knew what he was going to say. He was going to ask me where Max was. He was going to torture me if I didn't.

"Iggy, what I'm about to do to you may possibly be the most painful thing you may ever endure. It may possibly be the most painful thing anyone of your flock members have ever endured. I can promise you one thing though, dearest freak. If everything turns out right, you'll never be the same." Mr. Murphy said in all seriousness.

Wow. Wasn't expecting that one. Not at all actually.

-George is mad at me, I haven't updated in a while-

Fang's POV:

It had been less than twenty four hours since my brother was taken from me. I still couldn't believe it. I wouldn't dare try to.

We were on our way, however. The flock and I had flown for a good six hours after dropping off Ella and her mom. The sad thing was we were only assuming that we were heading to the right School. If there were more than one School and Iggy wasn't in the one we were going for, we were all screwed.

"Come on everyone! I'm sorry to rush anyone. I know that this is difficult and tiring but we need to pick up the pace." Max yelled out.

Our leader was a strong one. I looked over at her. It's pretty hard to imagine her to only be fourteen. That was the scary part sometimes. If she's this determined now, what will she be like in ten years? Maybe she really will save the world.

_**"Fang?"** Angel intersected in my mind braking my thoughts on Max._

_"Huh?"_ I responded.

_**"There's something I've got to tell you." **_

_"What is it sweetie?" _

I looked over at her. The sun and the warm air seemed to float around her. Gosh she was so perfect. Not to sound too girly, but to me she is the most precious little six year old pretty much ever. That's all I can see her as. But as I study her face more, she looks as if she was in tears.

__

"Angel, what aren't you telling me?"

****

"Fang, I think I've developed a new power. I just haven't told anyone because I thought it was pretty useless."

****

"Fang I can feel a persons life force. It's like if I get close to someone I can feel it always. I can feel yours, Max's, the whole flock. Even Jeb's and Ella's."

_"That's pretty interesting Ang."_ I responded. But she gave me a look that told me she was scared.

_"Fang. I can feel Iggy's. Iggy's life force is slowly fading. Fang, I think he's dying."_

Dun. Dunn. Dunnnn. Hehehehe. I like's me a good cliffy. Hey I want to apologize to everyone. My processer has been on the fritz so this update is seriously delayed. I'm especially sorry to Heart the Squid because I promised her an update like a week ago. Sorry! But, good news that my word processor is fine now! It was acting funny but it's okay. So my question is = How do I make up for it? You tell me! Anyway, review please! If you love me! R&R?


	8. So it begins

**Kay guys. Don't hate me. I wasn't laziness that made me update so freaking long, for a while I didn't think I was going to continue on with this story. I was tried of "Iggy being tortured by someone" angst stories. I had read a bunch, and I felt like my story wasn't very original. **

**So here's my warning. If you are reading this because you like to see Iggy get tortured by someone, stop reading. Because though he is getting tortured in the beginning, this isn't the main plot of the story, the side-effects are. With that being said, I will continue. **

**Disclaimer: I. DO. NOT. OWN. MAXIMUM. RIDE.**

Iggy's POV:

Mr. Murphy came closer to me. He smelled so strongly of cigars that I nearly gagged.

"Iggy. This might hurt. A lot." Mr. Murphy chuckled. Then he violently stabbed me with a needle.

Now it may sound dumb to be completely terror ridden from a silly needle. Especially compared to getting beaten by an Eraser.

But imagine it like this; you get stabbed with a needle every day of your life up until you are almost a young adult. This really changes your perspective.

So when he jabbed the needle into me leg, well I'm sure you can imagine. I was completely freaked. If I hadn't been restraint, I probably would have blown up the room.

But the needle was nothing compared to what was about to happen. Nothing at all.

At first the only thing that was painful was, you know, the needle being jabbed into my arm. I was about to say "What the hell?" But I didn't get a chance to.

The only possible way to even remotely describe it would be like this: You took all of the blood out of your body by stabbing you violently. Then instead of putting the blood back in, you inject fire. That's what this felt like.

In a course of eleven seconds, I went from being cocky, to being in such excruciating agony that I can't remember my name. I can't feel anything except for this burning sensation.

I screamed in agony. I was crying, screaming, violently shaking on the table. I felt as though my eyes were going to bulge out of my head.

'Please! Please make it stop!" I moaned seething off the table. He didn't respond.

"PLEASE!" I screamed. He laughed.

And then the pain was gone, and I was slipping from consciousness.

-You may now kiss the bride- George leans down and Kisses Phyre-Bird-

Fangs POV:

Wait, WHAT?

"Angel, are you sure? I swear to god if your lying-" I shouted.

"Wait what's happening?" Max suddenly intervened. Suddenly everyone was looking at me. I had forgotten that the conversation between me and Angel went on in my head.

I looked over at her. She was sobbing. Max ran over to her and held her in her arms. We landed.

"Fang! What the hell! Why did you yell at her like that?" Max shrieked.

"No, Max, it's not what you think.

"Angel is crying. That's pretty self explanatory." She said as she landed. She crossed her arms and looked questionably at me.

"Angel, tell her what you told me. I'm not mad at you, I'm scared." I whispered. Max looked confused. Everyone did.

"I can… I can…" She was crying too hard for words to come out.

"She said that she can feel life forces. And she can't feel Iggy's anymore." I said shaking my head.

Everyone was quiet. Max was shaking and Angel was sniffing. She looked up at me with her big beautiful eyes and mouthed the words "I'm sorry".

Just as all the hope was drained out of my body Angel suddenly turned around.

"Wait! I think I'm getting something!" Angel screamed. My heart stopped.

"He's okay guys, I feel a pulse. It's small, but it's there!" Angel screamed.

And that's how everyday for three days went. She lost him, and then he suddenly came back.

What the hell were they doing to him?

**So that ends this chapter. I don't quite know what to make of it. Review?**

**By the way, has anyone read Angel yet? If so chat me! I loved all the Iggyness about it!**


	9. The After Burns

****

So I feel bad about the huge wait. So I'm going to update as soon as I can. That's a promise. Also, thanks for the 60 reviews. Totally happy right now.

Disclaimer: Me no own MR. Cappesh?

My body was numb. More than numb, it was like I was having an out of body experience. Was I even alive? If not, could I even open my eyes? Could I move?

These were questions that wouldn't be answered. I tried to lift my head. It wouldn't budge. I tried to open my eyes. Were they open? I couldn't tell. If I did in fact die, where was I exactly? I know that I haven't been the greatest kid, I've blown erasers up and whatnot. So…was I in hell? Heaven? Err, purgatory?

"Is the subject still sleeping?" A voice called. Nope, I was in hell. Hell on earth.

"Sleeping? Is that what they told you? You're an idiot Newbie." Another guy called out. His voice was more gruff and aggressive.

The other guy mumbled something under his breath. And suddenly I could move.

That was the most hellish thing I could have ever wished for.

My bones felt like lead, my blood was like little explosives. As my heard my heart beating it was like a bomb was going off my chest.

My head felt like it was going to burst open at any moment. It felt like there was a tiny man inside my skull whacking at my brain with a machete. Am I painting a clear enough picture for you?

And suddenly my insides were messing with me, because suddenly I turned over and spewed the small amount of food that I had been given. Great.

The men seemed shocked. Shocked that I had puked, or shocked that I was alive? I couldn't tell.

Suddenly my head felt very dizzy, and I was unconscious once more.

-George and Phyre-bird are having a great honey moon-

****

MaxPOV:

I just got the living hell scared out of me. I'm not even kidding. When Fang turned and looked at me dead in the eyes with that cold expression, my heart stopped. And it was to hell from there. All I can tell you now, and from the deepest and most honest fiber of my being, is that we have to get to him. Like, now.

With my wings stretched out I turned to my incomplete flock.

"Guys, I have a proposition for you to consider." I said making my voice loud. Fang shot me a look. We typically decided on everything together. But today it was just me.

"As you all know, I have the ability to fly the fastest, and if we want Iggy back we have to do this fast." I said sighing. It was all too much of a harsh reality.

Fangs eye's widened. "No Max, no, no, no." He looked at me sternly.

"Guys, I know that you don't want to just sit around and wait. But if I can do this than we can get him back in twice the time. He might not be able to make it that much longer."

"And what happens when you try to infiltrate all on your own, and you die? I don't think Iggy would be very happy with that. Not to mention if you die he would probably die too." Fang glared. Harsh.

I turned swiftly. "Gazzy, you still have back up bombs don't you?"

His little head shook. "Right here."

"Look, that's me plus my wicked fighting skills plus those bombs. Whether you like it or not, it's the smartest way to go." I folded my arms across my chest trying to look bold.

"No. End of story." Fang said sharply.

"Yes, end of discussion." I said equally.

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Will yall's little love fest end now? Because it looks like we have some company." Gazzy said looking backwards.

One word. Erasers.

****

Dun Dun Dunnnn! So that ends our story. Tada! Just kidding. Actually, I think in about four or five more chapters hopefully, the school saga will end. I think the story will be built up into three different sections, the School, the After, and the Fixing. I'm really happy to have this thing progressing.

Questions? Comments? REVIEW! ß please


	10. Not All is What it Seems

**Okay, I know that I'm like evil for the hold up. Butttt- this chapter should be at least slightly longer than all of the rest. That's the hope anyway. **

**Disclaimer: I am not an old man. Therefore, I am not James Patterson. THEREFORE, I do not own Maximum Ride.**

" Don't try and out run me, I'm only faster. Don't try and save her, she's only smarter. Don't try and crawl back from where you came, you'll only end up hurting yourself." Iggy's mind replayed and replayed. Each time he turned, the message replayed louder and louder until it was thudding against this skull. He tried to move, to sit up, but he felt as if he was sitting on solid ice, slippery to the touch. His head was feverish, and he had broken out in a cold sweat.

And it was quite obvious he was hallucinating.

Mr. Murphy smiled to himself as he watched the subject from behind the wall. He tried not to smile, but it was only natural. After all, it was a job well done.

He grabbed the keys from the other side of the room whistling to himself. It was half past nine at night, and he needed to be home. He lerched forward, grabbed his coat and headed for the door. It had a special code on it so the subjects weren't able to escape...err, wander off. He dialed in the numbers 9 4 33 6, and the nob clicked. Just before he left however, he turned and looked at the young boy. For the first time in his life, he wondered briefly what it would be like to be on the other side of the cage. He shook away the thoughts and ventured out into the cold.

On most days on his drive home, Mr. Murphy thought only of one person; his wife. But strangely, this day was a tad different. He thought about his wife sure, what she must be cooking and how her day went. On the other hand, he thought of that boy 'Iggy' yes, that's what he was called. He thought of his wide eyes, and for once Mr. Murphy's torturous ways didn't have that glossy paint like he did on most days. Mr. Murphy frowned, he wasn't like this. He was a man of pride, and he only did prideful things. That's the way he was raised. He shook his head, turned on the radio and drove home.

When he was home, he took off his coat and smiled at the sweet smelling air.

"You like?" Monica asked him gingerly.

Mr. Murphy smiled and nodded while scanning his wife from head to foot. She was wearing knaki shorts, and a beautiful torquis blouse that showed off her seven month baby bump. She smiled in return.

"It's pasta bake, your favorite. How was work?" Monica twirled. She was a very happy woman, full of love and laughter.

As if Mr. Murphy couldn't feel anymore guilt, he lied. "The office was great. Made loads of progress."

Because that's all his wife knew, he worked in an office, and he always made progress. What she didn't know, hadn't hurt her yet.

-George slow dances with his wife-

Max wiped the dirt off her forehead. Her hair was caked with blood, dirt, and a mysterious substance that the Eraser had left. She turned swiftly, and punched one in the gut, kicked another where it counted, and yanked on another one's fur.

This fight was exactly like the one when Iggy was taken. The exception? They were prepared.

Gazzy was shooting off a string of bombs right after the other, and it seemed like he was blowing their brains out. Fang was round house kicking one, and swiping the other with the hidden switchblade from his shoe. Angel was looking serenly into a pack of Erasers whispering in their ear to jump off a cliff, which they did, gladly. That only left Nudge.

Nudge was...talking? Screaming? She was muttering off a string of high shrill voices at the Eraser. He was on the floor in agony, looking like he was just about to commit suicide to stop the screams.

As soon as she was done, she nodded triumphetly.

Max looked over at her as soon as she had round-house kicked an Eraser in the head.

"Sweetie?" Max asked.

"Yeah?" Nudge replied.

"Well...Um...What was that exactly?" She asked confused.

"You see, an Eraser came up behind me and punched me in the gut. It hurt really bad! Then I screamed, and it sort of looked hurt. So I did it some more, except like higher pitched, and he like fell to the ground. It was so flipping funny! And then all I did was like talk while having my voice so high, and he started to cry! It was amazing!" Nudge clapped. "You should try it!"

Max looked uneasy. She wasn't sure she could master to have her voice that high, even if she tried her hardest.

"Naa.. that's okay." Max looked up. "It looks like you've got a new talent there."

"You mean like a new power?" Nudge asked brightly.

"Looks like it."

Max looked at her flock. Fang looked bruised, his hair was messed up but in a cute way. Gazzy had a split lip, nothign too serious, Angel cut, Nudge with a broken finger. Everything looked about right. Now to get to business.

"We need to keep moving. We've lost time. Everybody head south, I'm heading north." She started.

"Oh no you don't! We aren't doing this Max-" Fang started but was cut off.

"I want Iggy, Fang!" Gazzy suddenly shrieked. Poor guy, no one had been paying attention to him.

"He's my best friend, my hero. You can't just tell me that you are going to leave him there until he-" Gazzy's voice broke. "You have to let Max go."

Fang's face looked so torn it was like he was in pain. Which it probably was.

"I know." He said solemnly. "But we have to think about things Gazzer. Max is important too. We've used up most of the bombs, and if she goes she might not come back. If Max doesn't come back neither will Iggy. And we want them both save don't we?"

Gazzy thought for a moment. Tears lined his cheeks, but he looked up and nodded.

"Max, we love you. And we want you to stay." Nudge said quietly.

"Fine." She said sharply. She wasn't happy. Not by a long shot.

"We better get a move on then. We've lost time." She said. And with that they were off.

They were going to save him. Even if it meant destroying themselves in the process.

**DUNNNNN! So, I thought I'd add a lil twist on the Mr. Murphy deal. Whadya think? Does this warp your idea of him? Or do you feel the same?**

**Pleaseeeeeee let me know! **


	11. Enpowerment

**You all probably hate me by now. Good gosh how long has it been? Four, five months? I am so so sorry. I should have at least posted about a hiatus or something. My excuses? High school, marching band season and I had lost interest in this fic. It wasn't calling me, you know? But luckily I have wised up and realized that this is where my heart is. So here you go:**

**Disclaimer: I don't, won't, can't, even consider owning Maximum Ride. **

**Iggy's POV: **

I opened my eyes and took a breath. It seemed like forever since I was functioning, let alone somewhat conscious. Slowly I tempted himself, slowly but surely I sat up on the gurney. Sightlessly I peered around hoping desperately that this whole scenario was a sick dream. Then I smelled the anesthetics, slightly gagged and hoped that desperation wasn't written in my eyes.

I wrapped my slender fingers around a metal bar. Caged… .Again.

It took a moment to realize exactly what had gone on in the past… Days? Weeks? …..

_Please don't let it be months,_ I begged silently.

An audio tape played back repeatedly in my mind. Mr. Murphy. The serum. That God awful pain.

My head suddenly felt like lead. My arms were jelly. What did they do to me?

I shivered. How could this be my reality? How could I let such a horrid thing happen to myself? I'm weak. Pathetic. Mr. Murphy was right. Maybe I did deserve the pain. The flock was better off without me.

I am human garbage. I can't see, can't do anything worth a damn. Maybe they should just dispose of me already…

_No. _Suddenly I had new found energy. _I will not believe a word that man says. I am an idiot. I am not weak. _

I pounded my fists against the cold bars. _I will NOT be the victim! I won't let myself die bound in chains. I will not give myself to these bastards!_

I hit the bars again. I involuntarily growled as blood dripped of my hands. _They can't do this to me! I am a person God Dammit! _

The room echoed in silence. Did I just yell that? I didn't care. I pounded the bars again. Was it getting hotter in here?

Sweat dripped down my face. Why is it so hot? I swayed a little bit. Perhaps I shouldn't have used so much energy…

Suddenly it wasn't just me (or the other mutants, you can never really tell) in the room.

"Oh God… Mike! Mike get in here!" A voice called out. It didn't matter anymore. I was in my own little zone of hysterical conviction. My eyes were closed and I had slumped over. My energy was drained.

More voices echoed in. "Tom… Holy hell. How did this happen? Call in the guards…. Tell them it's an emergency."

…..

"Why wasn't anyone here?"

…..

"How did this happen?"

…..

"Was it the freak?"

…..

"We need help over here!"

I could barely hear them over the sound of…. Flames?

Suddenly I heard the door burst open with what appeared to be a least a dozen men judging by their footsteps. I heard the clatter of fire extinguishers and suddenly the room was silent. One voice remained.

"WHY WAS NO ONE HERE? THIS IS YOUR JOB DAMMIT!" Mr. Murphy called out.

"You are lucky I am not firing all of you…." He stopped and sighed. "Now load the boy. Round one of the experimentation has failed."

And suddenly I felt a prick of at needle and two strong arms, and I found myself in an unconscious abyss…

**A/N So…. How badly did that confuse everyone? If you are completely lost and confused, fear not, I will explain all soon. But if anyone thinks they understood what went down, feel free to review and have at it! Muahahaha! **

**And sorry for the short length, that won't happen again.**

**Again sorry guys for the hold up. If anyone is still interested in this fic, I will update ASAP.**


	12. The Office Part 2

**So here's the newest chapter. It's taken me a while, just for plannings sake. Luckily the story now has taken on a new approach, I have some things sorted out that I think you will like. Just not at first hehe. Anyway, as you read this one might have a different tone as it is kind of like a mirror to chapter 3. I think you will know what I'm talking about. Also: After this I will be updating very (hopefully) frequently.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride! Sheesh you would have thought you would have realized this by now!  
**

* * *

"Get Mr. Batchelder down here. NOW!" Mr. Murphy all but screeched.

This was not the plan. This…. This could in fact ruin every thing he had planned. All because of that little brat. He might as well have killed him the moment he walked…. Dragged…. Through the front doors.

Mr. Murphy rubbed his temples trying to relieve some of him unintended stress. If Dame ever found out about this kind of fluke…. He dismissed the thought.

"I need Batchelder! NOW!" His stress grew with his fierce impatience. This wasn't the time.

He looked at his wrist. No watch. He knew what he wanted.

Within a millisecond Murphy had taken a long drag of his much needed cigar. He flicked the ashes to the floor. It cleared his head.

_"Why?"_

_"Something didn't take."_

_"Forced to start over…."_

_"Damn it all…."  
_

* * *

**IG POV:**

My eyelids fluttered slightly as I was dragged sharply down the hall. My head was pounding, and I had given up on trying to figure out what went wrong. Then a long needle was injected into my arm….

* * *

**POV:**

Mr. Murphy snapped the pencil he was fiddling with in his hand. He looked up.

Batchelder solemnly walking forward entering the smoggy office.

"Next time run when you are called." Mr. Murphy spoke thickly due both from his frustration, and his many years of addiction.

Jeb nodded quietly, though Murphy noticed a small scowl.

"We need to talk." The sentence lingered in the air for a moment to take effect. Small beads of perspiration formed on Batchelder's forehead.

'Long story short, it failed. The experiment I told you all about. It failed. The experiment failed."

Silence rang. Jeb had a concentrated look on his face. Finally he spoke.

"I'm sorry sir- Can I ask what happene-"

"It was your fault." Mr. Murphy interrupted.

"My… My fault? Sir?"

"It should be obvious." Mr. Murphy spoke slowly as if talking to a child. "Batchelder, the experiment was under your care for years. It makes perfect sense that he would become defiant. It seems that your reckless ability to raise children has caused the boy to become nothing but a disrespectful train wreck. His body has rejected my formula no doubt because he forced it to."

Jeb sat with astonishment written on his face. He waited a moment to digest everything that was said.

"You are telling me that it's my fault that your serum didn't penetrate his brain." Jeb said exasperatedly.

"Exactly." Mr. Murphy restated.

"And you are not taking consideration that a persons will power has absolutely nothing to do with the spinal cord or any of the designated areas the formula was suppose to treat?"

"Batchelder? Are you questioning my work? I couldn't possibly have heard you correctly, because for a moment it sounded as if you were suggesting that it was my fault. As if to say my serum was flawed."

Jeb took a deep breath. "No sir. You are always correct. You are right in saying it is solely my fault…. I hope you can excuse this from me."

"Well that's the issue Batchelder… I don't think I can. You see, this is your second mistake. I am not a man of second chances. You just got lucky Batchelder. In fact, your thin ice just might be breaking. Your loyalty… May have just cost your life."

"Sir please…" Jeb began.

"However- You have been possibly the most helpful contributor to my work. So you will be spared. For now."

"I am grateful sir, I won't let you down."

"You definitely won't. In fact, your going to do a very special task for me."

Jeb allowed a pause for Mr. Murphy to continue.

"If in which case the experiment fails completely… The boy will be no use to us. His eyes are beyond repair. He will be nothing. Maximum has nothing to gain. If this is to occur…. You will execute it" Mr. Murphy sneered.

_Execute…. Execute… Kill…._

"That won't be a problem, will it Jeb?" He asked slowly.

"No sir….. Not at all." He finally swallowed.

"Then you are dismissed."

* * *

Jeb silently made his way down the long corridor when a single word was spoken aloud.

'Shit."

And Mr. Murphy smiled.

* * *

**I'm sorry it's not so action packed, or the fact that the flock wasn't included. This chapter took the longest for me to write trying to get everything just so. I hope you found it shocking, and are intrigued. If not, well talk to me about it! Please review!**


	13. McDonalds and Psychopaths

**Hey guys. Don't kill me for the lateness; I just had my finals so I haven't had time to finish this chapter. And to be honest I had a bit of writers block so this chapter was exxttrreeemmmeelly difficult to write. But ah well. Its fillery but if you squint there is some pretty big stuff here.**

**Disclaimer: James Patterson is rich. I am not. Therefore I cannot be the owner of Maximum Ride. Oh and I don't own McDonalds either!**

* * *

Max POV:

Gosh my wings felt heavy. Sweat covered my arms and coated most of my body. Then the unthinkable happened.

My stomach growled.

And I realized I was starving. How long was it since I last ate? One, maybe two days? We hadn't even stopped to sleep.

I turned sharply to look at my flock. It was a sad picture. Pretty much everyone, excluding Fang, looked like flying bird zombies.

"Guys?" I finally called out. My voice sounded harsh, and my throat felt like sand paper from lack of use.

The looked up at my expectantly.

"We need food." I said bluntly.

I swear they all gave me the biggest grin I've ever seen. Fang even game a smirk. Slowly we waded through the small town. Where were we? California? It wouldn't be too long now.

The flock smiled as we saw the world's most glorious accomplishment: McDonalds.

* * *

"Uh….. Are you sure you want all that food?" The frail woman asked. She probably had not eaten as much as we did in a meal as she did in her entire life. Typical. Her hand shook. Her mousy brown hair wobbled slightly with her head. I think she was afraid of us.

"Positive," Fang elbowed me. "Ma'am."

"If I could just see some… Method of payment please…"

I pulled out the all mighty Max card. How it managed to avoid getting blown up? I have no idea.

"Then um, that'll be one hundred seven dollars and fifty one cents."

I gave the card to the woman. I decided to nickname her twitchy. She gave a yelp when I pulled the card from her hand. I couldn't blame her though; six- five crazy, sweaty, ravishingly hungry looking bird kids would be kind of intimidating.

Five minutes later, we scarfed down food like never before. I ripped through three burgers in two minutes, not even bothering to unwrap them. It was like winning the lottery…. This made me feel all the more guilty…..

* * *

**Fang POV:**

Have you ever felt suddenly happy, like having a simple joy, only to have it snatched away immediately? Like catching your breath for just a moment then getting the wind knocked outta ya?

"Fang?" Angel whispered quietly.

I looked ups suddenly. I was too busy shoving my face to notice an anxious look on her face.

"That thing that happened yesterday, well… It happened again."

Well sh-.

"Did it come back?" I rushed to ask.

"Yes, but very slowly. Do you… do you think he will be okay?" Her expression killed me. I hesitated. Angel took the hint and looked away.

* * *

**Max POV:**

Oh sweet heavenly glorious Mickey D god, how amazing you are. This was the first time I slowed down to even look around. This had been such a relief to all of us… Except when you find everyone in the restaurant staring in what I can only assume is disgust. I mustered up the harshest "eat dirt" glare I could manage. I smirked in triumph.

I had just started to dig in once again, but something was bothering me. Call it intuition, or "Max senses" but something just didn't feel right.

I looked up again. Some guy was staring at us. But unlike the others, he had a grin plastered on his face. Normal people don't find sick fascination with poor hungry kids.

**Angel, listen to me.** I called urgently.

She looked up at me.

**We need to leave. Now. Tell everyone telepathically.**

**On it.** She responded.

* * *

Wordlessly we left the restaurant. And guess who followed?

Mr. Fly on the wall himself. And in case you haven't noticed us bird kids aren't afraid of confrontation. I swung around to face the man, who was now standing in an empty alleyway. He walked forward to meet us.

As he came closer, Fang's eyes widened. I realized the guy had a horrible stench; antiseptic.

"They said you were in hiding you know. Said we couldn't see you. That it was impossible. But here you all are." The guy chuckled. He continued, "They said to give up. But I didn't." He paused. "The infamous flock; Imagine the promotion I'd get once I capture-and maybe even dissect all of you experiments."

Okay. Once puny man (I mean seriously, the guy had twig arms) against six- five genetically altered kick-ass bird kids. This guy wasn't even going to blink before he was in the ground (metaphorically so to speak).

"Don't be stupid," I started, "It's five against on-" a bullet sliced through the air.

What kind of psycho brings a gun with him to McDonalds?

"Not expecting this eh?" Psycho ass smirked.

"Get down!" Fang screamed behind me, shoving me to the ground.

This wasn't anything new really. I had been shot before, not to mention erasers occasionally carried weapons. This guy still had freak like accuracy though. If I hadn't ducked the kids wouldn't have had the greatest image before them. That fact alone quite pissed me off.

Before I could jump to my feet Fang was on it. He crept slowly enough to disappear.

"Remarkable! The experiment 7134 just vanished! I wonder if my boss knows about-" he was interrupted by the gun being ripped from his hands and the butt against the back of his head. He fell to the floor.

I looked at my flock. "You all alright?"

Gazzy nodded.

"Is he…?" Nudge spoke quietly.

"I didn't hit him that hard…" Fang murmured.

I knelt down and held two fingers to the stupid guys fat neck. I shook my head. The stupid ass hat was dead.

"I didn't mean to…" Fang drifted off midsentence. I understood. We had occasionally killed Erasers (well only a few times now that I think about it… mostly when we broke Angel out) never the less, not really ever an actual white-coat.

"It was either us or him Fang. He was a psychopath anyway. It's better not to have guys like him around in the world." I spoke softly. Fang shook his head in somewhat agreement.

"Max?" Nudged uttered quietly.

I looked up.

"I have an idea. The guy has his phone on him. If it's a smart phone I bet I can hack it and find the location of his 'work place'."

And that is why Nudge is completely brilliant. We knew that it was in California, but I had a huge suspicion that the school had relocated. We all did.

"That's fantastic Nudge!" Gazzy squealed hugging her. She was left to work. In a matter of moments she had the results.

"Guys, the school has changed relocated like we thought... It's only a mile away."

Iggy, here we come.

* * *

**So it begins. This will be the last filler for the flock getting to Iggy I swear. In one or two chapters things will seriously kick off. Yes, hmm next chapter will be a doosie! In all honesty I don't really know how I feel about this chapter in particular, so please review to give me some feedback! **


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